1 March 2025 – Bloemfontein-born Neo Maema will captain the Bafana Bafana side that will face Egypt in an African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifier at Free State Stadium on Sunday, 2 March 2025. Kickoff is at 17h00.
Maema said he was happy to accept the responsibility and lead the team in his hometown.
“I’m humbled to stand before you guys, before the coaches, and humbled by the responsibility they’ve given me to be the captain of our national team. We’ve been preparing very well in a very short time, but we are supporting each other in terms of how we need to approach the game,” he said.
“We also have to put ourselves in a good position in terms of playing at home in our country, making our fans very proud. So, it’s a team effort and we must also listen to our coaches to make sure that everything that they’ve told us, we grasp as quickly as possible so that we can be ready for tomorrow’s game.
“The mood is very high. We also have a lot of young players that are willing to listen. We know they are also there to listen to us. I’m happy to be the captain of our team and make sure that we represent the country very well.”
The team will return to Johannesburg on Monday, 3 March 2025 where they will remain in camp until departure to Egypt on 6 March 2025.
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